


incubo

by vivific



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen, Hallucinations, Minor Original Character(s), Nightmares, Sexual Harassment, catcalling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-12-31 03:41:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12123768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivific/pseuds/vivific
Summary: incubo(in-ku-bo)masculine, noun:(figurative)nightmare





	incubo

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for characters that appear in Season Two.
> 
> [This is all bc of ieatedanimation. (Damn it, Beacon.)](http://ieatedanimation.tumblr.com/post/165105387378/)
> 
> Translations on hover, and in the notes at the end.
> 
> Definition from [Collins Dictionary](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/italian-english/incubo/).

After Volpina, Lila doesn’t look in the mirror anymore.

It’s not an intentional decision, but after days of seeing her face on every mobile screen, of hearing her own voice, recorded, gloating about being friends with Ladybug, Lila hates herself.

Her appearance, her face, her voice.

Her mother has no sympathy for her, and Lila isn’t surprised. After all, she caused an international scandal with her actions. Paris sided with Ladybug, but it was embarrassing for the Italian government to attack the French heroine over what amounted to schoolgirl drama.

“It’ll pass,” her mother said. “Just keep your head down, and don’t cause any more trouble.”

Fine, Lila thought, ignoring people wasn’t hard.

It wasn’t the first time she’d be ostracised from her new school.

But, there was nothing that could top the mistake she made this time.

She walked into school the first day after her akumatisation. Everyone stared at her, or completely avoided her.

Liar. Attention whore. Slut.

Someone filmed Ladybug in the park. Rumours spread about Adrien and Ladybug. Adrien himself said nothing of them, and only stared at Lila from a distance.

God, Lila wants to punch him. She was _right_. Adrien Agreste was nothing more than a pretty boy who tried to seem nice, but in the end, only cared for himself.

The first time Lila looks into a mirror, it’s been a week since her akumatisation. She’s been late to all her classes, doing her hair up in ponytails or brushing it without checking her reflection. When she finally sees herself in the silver, she’s frowning.

There are bags under her eyes. She hasn’t done her makeup since the incident. She can’t bring herself to care.

She stares at her reflection, and the image blurs over.

What a waste, what a disappointment, how can someone be that dumb?

She blinks. Some tears spill onto her cheeks.

Her reflection changes. There’s a mask on her face. Bright orange on her lips. Fox ears on her head. Volpina grins at her.

Lila doesn’t remember.

Moments later, her mother rushes in, phone in hand, and finds Lila on the floor. The mirror is shattered, shards poke out of Lila’s fingers. Blood stains the glass.

 

Lila has nightmares about falling off the Eiffel Tower. But it’s not her, not really.

She dreams of being held by the wrist, a doppelgänger of herself smiling down at her.

“Hope you’re not scared of heights,” Volpina snickers.

Four. Three. Two. One—

Lila wakes up clinging to the bedframe, just like she had when she woke up on the Tower.

“I’m safe,” she whispers to herself, “I’m safe, I’m safe, I’m safe.”

She muffles her crying in the bedsheets.

 

Lila tries not to get angry at Ladybug, not because she isn’t, but because she doesn’t want to repeat what happened the last time.

“I just wanted to apologise,” Ladybug tries, hanging outside of her window like it’s normal.

Lila stares at her with sleep-deprived eyes, and laughs.

“Forget it,” she says, not out of spite, but exhaustion. She turns away. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does,” Ladybug says, perching herself on the windowpane. “Have you gotten therapy—”

“For my compulsive lying or for being possessed?” Lila snaps.

Ladybug looks at her with pity, and Lila almost – almost – wants her hurt.

Then a chill passes over her. She can feel something on her face, something hanging from her neck, and she jerks her head sharply.

“Please, leave me alone,” she says.

Ladybug obliges, but Lila doesn’t imagine she leaves the area so soon.

No butterfly visits her in the night. Lila tucks the covers up to her chin, and pretends she doesn’t see an orange silhouette sitting on her chair.

 

There’s another new girl at Francoise Dupont.

“Hey,” the girl says, in an accent Lila can place, “I’m Kagami Yamamoto, it’s nice to meet you.”

She offers her hand, smiling brightly. Lila looks at her hand, then at the girl herself. She blinks a few times.

“Oh, Kagami,” another student says, “You don’t wanna be friends with her.”

Kagami’s face splits into confusion. She glances between Lila and the other student.

“Why would you say that?”

“Lila lied to all of us when she was the new girl,” someone else says.

“I—I see,” Kagami looks torn. Lila avoids her gaze.

From the corner of her eye, she sees a flash of orange. She turns.

Volpina peers over Kagami’s shoulder, grinning as she always seems to be.

“Excuse me,” Lila says, rising from her seat. She walks away, and ignores the akuma.

 

Volpina keeps appearing after that. During school, at home, even when Lila’s out in the streets. She’s never within reaching distance, and no one else ever seems to see her.

I’m going crazy, Lila thinks. This can’t be normal.

Volpina never speaks, never says a word. Only smiles, unnervingly.

Lila doesn’t look up at the buildings of Paris. Sometimes she’ll see Volpina, sitting on the top of a streetlight, or casually balanced on the balcony of an apartment.

Lila keeps her head down and keeps moving.

 

Rena Rouge debuts as one of Paris’ newest superheroes. People theorise if she’s secretly Volpina. They eye Lila with suspicion. She doesn’t bother to correct them. Who would believe her?

She ignores the orange in the corner of her eye. How people could possibly believe Rena Rouge to be Volpina is beyond her.

 

She walks home, in the nighttime streets of Paris.

It’s late, Lila was at a café, finishing a project. Her mother won’t be home until the early hours of the morning.

She’s not alone, of course. Paris is known for its nightlife, and despite everything, it’s still an urban city. People are all over the streets, some unaccompanied, others in groups. A couple men burst into loud chatter and laughter. Lila tries not to feel scared.

It’s not that late, only 9PM, but the sun has set and this is not her city.

She keeps a neutral expression, and makes her way down the streets. No need for fear, she’ll be all right.

“Hé beauté, on se connaît?”

The voice comes from behind her. Someone is following her. Lila keeps her eyes straight in front of her and keeps moving.

“Whoa, tu m’as entendu?”

She doesn’t look back.

“T’es vraiment sexy,” the man says, “C’est difficile de croire que t’as seulement seize ans.”

If her boots hit the ground harder, it’s not because she flinched.

“Tu es Volpina, non?” The man laughs. “Tu fais plus âgée dans ton costume.”

She doesn’t stop walking. She’s almost at the metro. She can make it through.

“On dira, tu—”

She stops walking. He stops too.

 

She’s on the metro, staring out at the darkness of the underground. Her reflection is smiling.

For some reason, she smiles back.

 

She gets home, and turns on the TV for some noise. She microwaves some leftovers.

“…a man has been found dead at…” She turns from the humming microwave. “The police investigation is ongoing.”

The microwave beeps. Lila turns, looks, out of the corner of her eye.

“Okay,” she says, meeting Volpina’s stare, “We have to set some ground rules.”

Volpina grins.

**Author's Note:**

> Hé, beauté, on se connaît? --> Hey, beautiful, do I know you?  
> Whoa, tu m’as entendu? --> Whoa, didn't you hear me?  
> T’es vraiment sexy, c’est difficile de croire que t’as seulement seize ans. --> You're really hot, it's hard to believe you're only sixteen.  
> Tu es Volpina, non? --> You are Volpina, right?  
> Tu as fais plus âgée dans ton costume. --> You look older in your costume.  
> On dira, tu— --> One could say you—
> 
>  
> 
> [Check me out on tumblr for more stuff on writing, including wips and previews.](http://vivifics.tumblr.com/)


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